Crank-case breather for internal-combustion engines



W/T/VESSES Q,

H. C. MILLER.

CRANK CASE BREATHER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED AUG.9. I919.

1,367,164. Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

A TTORNEKS UNITED s'rMrs PATENT, orrics.

HANS CHRIS'I'AIN MILLER, 01? GENOA, NEBRASKA. i

Y organic-cast: BREATHER non iNrEnNAL-oomBUsrIoN ENGINES. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS CHRISTAI-N MILLER, a citizen of the United :States, and a resident of Genoa, in the county of Nance and State of Nebraska, have invented certain vnew and useful Improvements in Crank- Case Breathers for Internal Combustion Engines, of which the following is I a specification.

drawn into the case with the air.

-re uires.

hnother object is .My invention .relates to improvements in internal combustlon engines, and has refer ence more particularly to crank case breath- 'ers forsuch engines.

In internal combustion engines of the inclosed crank case type, as commonly used on cars, trucks, and tractors, there is a continual alternating pressure and vacuum cre ated in the crank case during operation of the engine caused by the reciprocating parts dust and grit into the crank case.

Another ob ect is to provide means for supplying the crank case with lubricating oil required by the en' ine and by the same prevent the entry of ust and grit Into the crank case and to retain entering dust and grit against entrance to the crank case and provide means whereby the same may be readily cleaned outvor removed as occas1onmeans that will prevent undue; compression within the crank case and at the same time prevent entry of dust and other foreign substances intotlie crank case.

With. these and other objects in view which will more clearly appear as the de scription proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement. and combination of parts, as I Specificationof Letters latent.

An object of my invention to overcome these defects and to prevent the entry of the bottom of the oasin to provide breather Patented Feb, 1, 1921.

Application filed August 9, 1919. Serial No. 316,280.v

will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a sectional elevation of a por I ,tion of an engine crank case and my 1111- provements applied thereto, said improve ments being shown in vertical'section, I

Fig. 2 is a plan view looking into the ex pansion chamber with the cover removed,

Fig. 3 is an inside plan view of the cover removed.

The main body of the crank case whichis conventional and needs no detailed description is designated as A and carries therein the usual crank shaft crank pin and pitman' designated generally by B. J

Adjacent the upper part of the crank case, the breather tube C is applied to the opening D in the wall of thecrank case. The breather tube is a curved or bent elbow and has fitted to its upper end the cap which comprises a cylindrical casing E having a circular central opening E in its bottom wall; extending upwardly from which is a circular drum G, said drum extending up wardly to within a short distance of the lid or cover H of the casing. The casingis supported on the breather tube by means of a tubular extension or collar I the upper open end of tube C being rigidly held against an annular shoulder or rib c. L I I Extending upwardly from the bottom of the casing between the drum G and its outer 7 wall is another drum J concentric with the drum G and 'ofthesame height. Through is a circular series of openings K leading rom the atmosphere to the annular space between the outer wall 7 of the casing and the drum J.

The top of'the casing is closed by a cover H which has a flange or rim it which, fits tightly the outside wall of the casing and this cover has projecting downwardly therefrom annular drum'L between the central drum G and the intermediate drum J of the casing and concentric therewith, the lower end of said drum which projects inwardly from thecover, not extendingi'however entirely to the bottom of the casing but terminating a short distance thereabove.

The cover H is removable because the breatheropening D is generally"used asa means through which to pour lubricating v I oil required by the engine, so that by removing the cover this lubricating oil can be readily poured into the opening D As the drums G and J carried in the main body of the casing are shorter than casing, and the drum L carried by the cover is also shorter than the casing, and as these drums are concentrically arranged, there will be lateral'spaces S-left inside the casing, both at the top and bottom thereof, and that a tortuous passage is provided for the air which enters through the circular series of small openings in the bottom of the casing, as indicated by the arrows in F ig. 1.

As this construction and relative arrangement of parts provides a chamber for the expansion of the surging air from the crank case, the velocity of the incoming air is materially reduced, and this, with the tortuous passage created prevents the entry of dust. etc., into the crank case. This is so because the outgoing air only reaches a point above one half way through the air passages, and

this also applies to the incoming air.

Furthermore, as the outgoing air from a crank case always carries an oil mist with it, this mist is condensed on the walls of the air passages and the incoming air be ing directed against these oil coated walls. the dust carried by it is caught by the oil and retained there until the breather cap or casing is cleaned.

The expansion chambers of course, are to be properly proportioned to the size of the engine upon which it is used.

While I have shown my invention applied to engines in which the breather tube is connected at one end to the crank case and having the breather cap attached at its other end, it is obvious that it may be used with engines in which the breather opening is an extension cast integral with the crank case. Furthermore, it can be used on other engines where the breather opening is located on the timing gear case, the breather air in this type of engine going through the time gear case to reach the crank case; this is notably so of the Ford car.

I claim l. A breather for engine crank cases, comprising in combination a breather tube opening laterally at its lower end into said crank case and its upper portion extending vertically therefrom, a removable cylindrical expansion chamber carried at the upper end of said tube, said chamber having an imperforate top wall, and a relatively large central circular opening in its bottom wall, a circular open-ended drum extending upwardly from said central opening and terminating free from the said upper imperferate wall, a plurality of partitions extending alternately in opposite directions from the upper and lower walls, concentric with the said central drum and between the same and the outer wall of the expansion chamber. the aforesaid lower wall having a circular series of perforations therethrough between the outer wall of the cylinder and its proximate partition.

2. In an englne of the-character specified, the combination of a crank case adapted to contain lubricant, a working cylinder, a breather tube opening laterally into the crank case and extending upwardly therefrom at one side thereof, a cylindrical expansion and separating chamber having a flat lmperforate upper wall, said chamber mounted on the upper end of said breather tube and extending laterally beyond the periphery of the tube, a'plurality of coneentric partitions within the aforesaid chamber extending alternately in opposite directions from the. top and bottom walls of the chamber, said partitions with the outer wall of the chamber forming concentric annular communicating spaces, the bottom wall of the chamber having a central opening communicating with the upper end of the breather tube, and provided with series of relatively small perforations extending therethrough into the outermost annular space.

HANS CHRISTAIN MILLER. 

